A century of progress will be celebrated this week for a company that started with a man and a sandcutting machine in Pittsburgh.
Wheelabrator Group Technology Centre Canada will mark the firm's 100 years in business with a luncheon celebration this Friday at its facility at 1219 Corporate Dr. Festivities start at 11:30 a.m.
An open house will also be held at the Burlington location, which is responsible for engineering and manufacturing of <link _top>blast-cleaning systems.
The company's history dates to June 1, 1908 when entrepreneur Verne Minich obtained a sandcutting machine and decided a need could be filled for customers.
Some time after the company started, a Canadian division was established with a small sales office in Scarborough in 1960 and its technology centre located in Burlington since December, 1999.
"We continue to always ask ourselves the same question today as we did in 1908 -- what will our customers need in the future?" said Robert E. Joyce Jr., chief executive officer of the Wheelabrator Group.
"We talk to customers in order to understand their business challenges. We develop solutions and enhance our technology to meet their ever-changing needs and we are not afraid to remake ourselves to ensure that we never become complacent."
